Vale of Avoca Reach

After crossing Yonge Street, Yellow Creek flowed through Mount Pleasant
Cemetery into the ravine now called the Vale of Avoca, named for the valley of
the Avoca River in County Wicklow, Irland, or possibly for the poem by Thomas
Moore. See http://www.valeofavoca.com/. Here
Yellow creek comes to the surface for a while in a well treed ravine with some
older forest; (Beech Black. Cherry White Pine White & Red Oaks) and some new
growth forest of exotics (Norway Maple, Crack Willow, Horse Chestnut, Manitoba
Maple.). The stream goes underground again in the south end of David Balfour
Park and flows under Mount Pleasant Road to join with water coming from Castle
Frank Brook via the Spadina Trunk Storm Sewer east of Mount Pleasant Road.
There are records of several sawmills in this
reach. It lay in Former City of Toronto, part of which was earlier in the
Village of Yorkville. One of the City’s Discovery
Walks, “Central Ravines, Belt Line & Gardens,”
follows this reach as well as the reaches above and below. Sanitary sewage
flows via the Core Interceptor to the Ashbridges Bay Sewage Treatment Plant.
Storm water still flows through this valley, partly in an open channel and
partly in storm sewer sections.

If arriving by subway at the Davisville Station, cross Yonge Street to the
east side and walk south the Beltline bridge. There are steps that can be
climbed to its deck. Coming from the Beltline Reach, one has crossed the
bridges over the TTC yards and Yonge Street. From the bridge one can look down
on the site of one of several sawmills that
operated along this reach in what are now TTC yards. Scadding also mentions a
pottery, Whitmore’s Pottery Burned in 1830 and taken over by John Walmsley. An
old map shows a brewery near here. Look south to see the low spot on Yonge
street where Yellow Creek crossed over to Mount Pleasant Cemetery. After
crossing the bridges, one can look at a map of the Beltline Park, which has
recently been named after Kay Gardner, the former City councillor responsible
for planning this park. Note small planted trees in this area: Cedar, Sugar
Maple, Hemlock, White Pine, Elm, Red Oak, & Red Bud. After a delay of several
years; The Beltline Park is being extended east; eventually to cross Mount
Pleasant Cemetery east of Mount Pleasant Road in the valley of Mud Creek. Note
the large White Oak which was protected during construction of the underground
parking garage for the nearby Condo.

Enter Mount Pleasant Cemetery through the gate in the north wall. Point out
nearby trees: large old White Oak, White Spruce, Ginkgo, Larch, Douglas Fir,
Silver Maple, Austrian and Scotch Pines, Yew, European Beech, and many others.
Mount Pleasant Cemetery’s tree collection is one of the
finest on this continent. Pass Ginkgoes and White Elm. Note Douglas Fir.
Continue along roads south along slope and into the valley. Note the stone
railing of an old bridge over Yellow Creek and the low flat area which used to
contain a pond. (a picture of this pond is in the sidebar on this cemetery).
Continuing down the valley, which has been nearly filled to within ten metres
of the top with soil from the construction of the subway. One can see Oaks,
maples, basswood and Elms growing on original slopes above the filled valley
bottom. There are many famous men and women buried here, but that is another
story.

Leave the cemetery by the gate in the south fence and enter The Vale of Avoca.
By the slope one walks down one can judge the depth of fill placed in the
valley by the cemetery managers. The stream comes above ground here and
continues on the surface until the south end of David Balfour Park. The valley
can be reached here from Heath Street by stairs on both east and west sides of
the ravine. Also one can climb the west stairs to vistit the Deer Park
Community and its fine oaks. There are trails on
both sides of the stream, but the west side is better. Note a bit of old
forest (Red Oak Beech Hemlock) in the new (Norway & Silver Maples, Crack
Willow, Horse Chestnut, Manitoba Maple. White Ash; Japanese Knot Weed;
TouchMeNot). This is a good place to observe the structure of the forest with
trees shrubs ferns herbs and vines. Note the gabion baskets used to control
erosion. You will see many wet areas and springs traversed by board walks.
They result from water following the sandy areas laid down in interglacial
times. (For more about interglacial deposits see note on
Don Valley Brickworks Park North Wall).

Before arriving at the St. Clair Viaduct, you will pass
a point where an early road crossed the valley and the location of a
sawmill. This is not visable now. The woodland
here varies form quite good to poor. Beyond the fence on the east side we can
see a bit of older native forest; (White & Red Oaks, Beech, Black Cherry,
White Pine, Basswood Ash, & Hemlock). Compare this with the largely exotic new
growth forest on the west side, (Norway Maple, Crack Willow, Horse Chestnut,
Manitoba & Silver Maples, Mulberry & Black Locust). The two prominent native
tree species in the west side stand are Manitoba & Silver Maples, which while
they have a role in the forest are not normally as dominant as they are here.
The vigorous presence of Norway Maple, an invasive
exotic, in this and many other ravines is very
troublesome. The Task Force to Bring Back the Don and the City are considering
projects to remove some undesirable exotics and encourage the growth of native
trees. See Summerhill Slope Restoration.

Go under St. Clair Viaduct which was built in 1924. The
west side trail climbs the ravine wall to nearly the top before descending to
the valley bottom. It passes through woodland dominated by Norway Maple, an
invasive exotic. Armour stone and gabion baskets line the stream-bed. Look for
storm water outfalls; there are several along the open part of this stream.

On the east side we find Manitoba Maple, Basswoods or Lindens, an old garden,
planted Norway Spruce, Ash etc. A large chunk of cement is seen, which is
possibly part of one of the old sawmill that operated along Yellow Creek. Old
maps show several sawmill locations. After passing an earth work that is
likely the site of a sawmill and road, go into a clearing that is closing in
as it is being naturalized by cessation of mowing and an early planting by The
Task Force to Bring Back the Don of White Pine, Silver Maple, & Ash. This has
been augmented by seeding in of Hard & Norway Maples.

Near where the main trail (from the west side) crosses over a small bridge to
the east side, we find a clump of witch hazel and a cluster of old Oaks both
white and red plus Beech, Hemlock, Maples, Honey Locust, Black Locust, and
Ash. High on the west wall one might glimpse Rosehill
Reservoir, built in 1873. The Lake
Iroquois shore cliff is not readily noticed but
lies just south of this reservoir & north of the CPR railway. The railway
bridge is nearly at the level of Lake Iroquois. One can see clearly here how
deeply the ravine was cut by Yellow Creek in the last 10,000 years. Unstable
slopes have prompted rehabilitation of the woodland on the west side. A
preponderance of Norway Maples and other factors has resulted in severe
erosion. The City has started to cut out undesirable trees and plant better
ones.